Expect the unexpected
by TheLovelyAri
Summary: Shayla hasn't had the easiest life, and because of that, she's a little rough around the edges. How will the pack straighten her out and how will she fix the broken members of the pack. Rated M for lemons, underage drinking, and language
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you so much for reading this. I should warn you that the everyone's ages aren't the same as they were in the books.**

**Disclaimer- Stephanie Meyers owns all Twilight characters.**

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><p><em>Jacob's POV<em>

"C'mon dude, it's time to get over her." Quil said with an exhausted tone and ran his fingers through his hair.

It's been a few weeks since Bella decided to throw our friendship away for her boyfriend. I told her that she couldn't have both of us in her life, and she chose to go save him. What hurts the most is that I spent months getting her out of that zombie state and she didn't think twice about going back to him. She would do anything to get her precious leech back, include give away her life, friendships and sanity.

"He's right Jake," Embry agreed with Quil, "Bella's probably not even thinking about you."

I scoffed at them and turned my body away from them and towards the chalk board.

We were sitting in our study hall class. The room was buzzing with excitement. We only had a few weeks of school left and the anxiety of summer break was filled throughout the school. We sat amongst our peers, our conversation deafened by the sound of students chattering away about their summer plans.

"Why don't you try talking to Stacy?" Quil points.

Stacy was what almost every man in La Push chased after. She was tall, tan, and gorgeous. She was captain of the cheer team, prom queen, and was popular among the students, and _very_ popular amongst the football team. She's been passed around so much, I'm sure she could replace the football.

"No dude, she's easy!" I exclaim.

"That's why I suggested her." Quil wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

"What about Karen?" Embry asks as I roll my eyes at Quil.

Karen was one of the few non Native Americans that go to our school. She was really sweet, has blond hair and blue eyes. The problem is that she's dumber than a box of rocks. Karen has the IQ of room temperature. We had American history together. Once we were watching a movie about the bombing of Pearl Harbor and she asked if this was based off of a true event. The gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the IQ train ain't comin'.

"Any girl that makes Quil look like a genius is an automatic no." I tell them.

"Hey!" Quil shouted. He puts a hand over his heart and acts shocked. "I am offended."

Quil and Embry spent the next 15 minutes pointing out every girl in our classroom and I found a flaw in each one.

"Kara?"

"She's high maintenance."

"Deena?"

"She's a compulsive liar dude, remember?"

"Well what about Sylvia?"

"Her eyes are too close together."

"Seriously?!" Quil throws his hands up in frustration. "You're not even trying anymore!"

"Look Jake," Embry puts a sympathetic hand on my shoulder, "I know that you're hoping that Bella would just wake up, look into your eyes, and imprint on you. But it's not going to happen."

I brush his hand off of me, hoping that the hurt doesn't show on my face.

The classroom door swings open and Shayla, one of our classmates, stomps through the door.

"Ms. Arusei!" Our teacher, Mr. Naroon calls. "You are late. That's a detention."

The student turns to with an obviously annoyed and frustrated expression.

"Late for what?" she asks, "Study hall? It's not even a real class" She reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. She walks to Mr. Naroon's desk and slams the paper down. "I have a note from the office," she says as she takes her seat to the most secluded part of the classroom, "thanks for asking."

Mr. Naroon's face became flustered as he begins to stumble out some type of apology.

"Hey," you could practically see the gears in Quil's head turning as he formed his new idea, "What about Shay? Didn't you used to have a thing for her?"

Shayla was another non Quileute girl who went to La Push. Freshman year, she moved from Southern California to the outside of La Push with her Quileute aunt.

It was hard to find a girl in La Push that stood out from everyone else. There were some rare beauties such as Leah Clearwater, who had the looks, brains and self-respect. To me, Shayla was one of those rare beauties.

Before she moved to California, she and her parents lived in Kenya. She had a warm brown skin town, shiny black hair that went down in giant coils down her back and a sweet exotic accent. What I noticed out of everything though, were her eyes. She had big almond shaped eyes, almost like a cat's. Her irises were an amber color in the middle with a dark brown circling the outside. When I would try and talk to her, I would look into her eyes and lose all of my nerves. I would never get any legible words out; I would get so embarrassed that I would just walk away with my head down.

"That was _freshman year_." Embry said. "A lot about her has changed since then."

She used to walk down the hall with a smile on her face every day, was an honor roll student, volunteered for everything. Now, it's like bitterness and anger has taken over her.

"I would be a bitch too if my aunt went crazy!" Quil explains.

"That's not funny dude." I stared at him in disbelief.

Our sophomore year, some men stormed into Shayla's house and took everyone hostage. It took a shootout police officers from Forks and La Push before they were let out. I haven't seen Shayla smile since then.

"I'm not trying to be funny!" Quil rolled his eyes. "I think she's misunderstood."

I crossed my arms, "Well if you like her so much, then you try to talk to her. I'm done with broken girls any way."

I turned my attention towards Shayla. She was a lot smaller than most of the girls here. While most were around 5'6 she was only 5'2.

There was an angry frown plastered on her face and her arms were crossed. She was sitting in her desk and anxiously staring at the door; her leg tapping as if she was anticipating something big.

The classroom door opened and another student, Vera, walked in, handed Mr. Naroon a note and headed to the back of the class where her loud and obnoxious friends were sitting.

Vera was a portly girl who lived in La Push; she had been known as the school bully since Kindergarten.

As Vera walked to her seat, I saw Shayla freeze in her desk. It was as if her body seized to even breathe until she was sure Vera was sitting down.

"I can't believe Sam is making us do summer school." Quil's complaining brought me back to reality.

Because we missed so many days of school, Sam is forcing us to catch up with the rest of our class. If we passed our summer classes, we will be seniors next school semester.

"I think it's a waste of time," Embry added in, "especially since we won't go to college anyway."

Because we were in a pack, we were tied to the land. We had a responsibility and a duty to protect our land.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" A shout caught the attention of everyone in the room. Everyone turned towards Shayla; her hand was in her hair and she was pulling out tiny spitballs from her hair. Behind her, Vera and her group were silently snickering.

The classroom quickly went back to their normal conversations in order to avoid giving Shayla awkward pity stares. But it wasn't long before there was a loud crash and an "OH SHIT" yelled.

The class once again stopped their conversations and turned towards the group. There, we saw Vera knocked onto the ground with tiny Shayla on top of her, slamming her fists into Vera's skull.

"GET THIS BITCH OFF OF ME!" Vera screamed, her lip starting to bruise from the rain of punches landing on her face.

One of Vera's friends runs over and wraps his arms around Shayla. As he lifted her, Vera grabbed Shayla and threw her toward the back wall.

Mr. Naroon, like everyone else, was shocked at the sight in front of him. Vera was getting her ass handed to her by a girl who was half her size. He ran out of the room to fetch the principal while yelling "Break them up!"

Vera ran towards Shayla. Shayla swept her feet under Vera' knocking her onto her back. Shayla then begins to stomp her foot on Vera's face.

The room is chaotic. Teens screaming in excitant, hair is being pulled, and the girls are pushing away everyone who tries to intervene with the fight.

I feel that the fight has gone n long enough and I run over and lift Shayla from the ground; using my body as a barrier between the girls. Vera is trying to climb over my back while Shayla's petite body tries to thrust out of my arms. I'm amazed at how strong she is; if she flailed hard enough, she may escape.

By now, the principal ran in with Mr. Naroon in tow.

"Get her out of here!" Our principal yelled at me.

I begin to head out the door with Shayla still in my arms, her feet not touching the floor.

"And stay away from Brian!" Shayla yelled, and she hawked a giant wad of spit towards Vera.

Unsure of where a good place to set her down, I went through a few hallways and staircases before I stopped.

"Put me down!" Shayla ordered, still trying to wiggle free.

I sat her down, not daring to disobey her order.

She let out a frustrated scream and began to punch and kick a locker; putting all of her energy to each movement.

_This girl has had some boxing lessons._

"Can you believe that _ogre_?" Shayla ranted. "She thinks that she can mess with Brian and then come and fuck with me." She kicked her leg up, causing a dent to form in the poor locker. "Shit!"

I took a risk and grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Take deep breaths," I try my best to avoid her eyes, "In through your nose; out through your mouth."

She did what she was told; her eyes transfixed on my face. I coached her through them, whispering encouragement to her ear. When she seemed to be at a relaxed state, I walked over to the dented locker. I banged the top of it, causing the door to pop open. I quickly popped the dent back into its regular place and closed the door.

"How did you-? Why did you? What?" Shayla stumbled over the words trying to escape from her mouth.

"Can't have you getting in trouble for destruction of property, can I?" I give her a soft smile, and wonder where this sudden generosity is coming from.

"Um, thanks." She said still watching me in amazement.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the lockers.

"So," I find something to talk about to clear out the awkward silence of the empty hall, "all of this violence for a boy?"

"What?" she asked. A confused look sweeping over her face.

"I mean it's none of my business," I tell her, "but I don't think that a boy is worth fighting over. Especially if he's doing nothing to stop the fight?"

"You think Brian is my boyfriend?" An amused look crosses her face. "Brian's my little cousin. His 6th birthday was a few days ago. I got him a fifty dollars to buy whatever he wanted with." Her face suddenly starts to cloud with anger, "She found out and tricked him into trading his fifty dollars for fifty nickels. I tried to talk to the principal before study hall, but he said that I had no proof."

"That sounds like something evil Vera would do, I'm honestly nowhere near surprised." I slide down and sit next to her on the cold ground. When we were in middle school, she wrote "bastard baby" in sharpie all over Embry's new backpack; since his mom couldn't afford a new one, he had to still carry that… all three years."

"It's great that you three are still friends." She turned her body to me. "You hardly see any genuine friendships like that anymore." She starts twiddling her fingers. "Is it true what they say about you guys?"

I scrunch my eyebrows in curiosity, "What do they say?"

"That you guys are in a gang or a cult."

I can hardly contain my laughter, "Seriously?"

"Yeah! You guys sport the same haircuts and have the same tattoo! You even got those middle school boys doing it." She rolled her eyes. "I never believed it though. You guys have always been good kids. You're too sweet to do anything that stupid."

I nodded my head. "So," I quickly tried to change the subject. "how are you and Denise related?"

"She's my mom's half sister." She stretched her legs over the cold tiles. "My grandmother was a missionary in Kenya, when she came back to America, she was pregnant with my mom. We weren't allowed to ask many question about it." She snorted.

"So how did your parents meet if your mom was raised here?"

Shayla's face changed; almost as if she was suddenly uncomfortable or sad.

_Dumbass! Her parents aren't alive. Now you've upset her._

"You don't have to answer that." I quickly say.

"It's okay." She took a deep breath. "My mom wanted to meet my father; all she ever got from him were packages and letters." A small smile played on her lips. "My grandmother said that she spent so many years learning Swahili and the Kenyan culture, jut so she would be able to relate to her father." Her eyes were gleaming with pride. "My father saw her and impr- uh- immediately fell in love with her."

She shrugged her shoulders and went quiet; letting me know that she was done talking.

We sit in silence, waiting for the principal to call us down to the office. Meanwhile, Shayla's eyes are narrowed at a locker, a concentrated look etched on her face.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Open that locker." She ordered.

"Dammit open that locker!"

I slowly get up and walk over to the locker and bang hard on the top, making the door open with ease.

Shayla crawls over and starts going through the contents in the locker and backpack.

"What the hell are you-?"

"A-ha" She yells triumphantly and holds up an envelope. "I told you the bitch stole the money, she didn't even bother taking it out the envelope."

On the front of the envelope written in neat handwriting was "To Brian, love Shayla."

As if on cue the intercom came on. "Shayla Arusei. Please report to the Principal's office."

"Shayla slammed the locker door shut, gave me a wave and walked down the hallway.

I sat and watched her, thinking about a time when she would dance down the hallway instead of trudge.

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><p><strong>An: so I decided to change the story. This was going to be an emotional story, but I've decided to veto that. Thanks for reading guys! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Stephanie owns all twilight characters.**

_Shayla's POV_

_Why did I do that? Why? Why? Why?_

I mentally kicked myself as I walked to the principal's office.

Normally, Vera's antics never made me this angry. She's bullied me ever since I moved here, but I would never react this way. This was way over the top, how am I going to get myself out of this hole?

I reached the office and made my way towards Principal Nelson's personal office.

The door was left ajar, so I gave it a small knocked and opened it.

Principal Nelson looked up from the papers on his desk, "Have a seat Ms. Arusei."

He pointed to the two black chairs in front of his desk. He clasped his hands together and cleared his throat. "Now, Miss Lannel has admitted to throwing the paper balls but fighting is not an acceptable way to solve that problem. I don't condone violence in my school." He pushed his glasses to his nose. "You used to be a star student. Principal's list. Big Sister program. National Honor Society! Vera is in the nurse's office with a bruised eye and lip. This isn't you! What compelled you to attack another student?"

Guilt and shame started to fill my body and I couldn't help but hang my head down. Lately, my anger has been out of control. I've been snapping at employees, teachers, I even yelled at my younger cousin for accidentally kicking me in his sleep. Today was different. Vera had been pushing my buttons all week. Aside from Brian's money and the spitballs, she's been on total bitch mode. But today, while I was picking those stupid little balls out of my hair I heard her say something to her friends.

_"__She's pissed because I tricked that little retard that lives with her."_ I remembered her say.

It wasn't the admittance that fueled my anger. It was the word she used to describe Brian. It tore me apart.

Brian just turned five when the men stormed into our house and took us hostage; ever since that day, Brian had a hard time forming words. He gets picked on enough at school.

I'm not sure how the hell I even heard her. She was all the way in the back of the room. I knew that Mr. Nelson wouldn't believe me anyway. Vera's bullied many kids at our school, but he's always turned a blind eye to it. Anger clouded over my guilt and I knew that I couldn't let her get away with it.

"Well, she walked past my desk and this fell out of her pocket." I handed him the envelop full of money. I know that I shouldn't have lied, but I'm so tired of Vera thinking that she ran the school.

Principal Nelson stared at the envelope and let out a huff. He stood up from his chair and walked out of the room, taking the envelope with him.

I waited in the office, trying to ignore the splitting headache starting to form in my head.

After about fifteen minutes, Principal Nelson walked back into the room.

"She admitted to taking it." He said as he sat down. "And she admitted to bullying you. But I think she's learned her lesson." He took off his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt, then leaned forward towards me. "Shayla, You were never in my office before this year. You're an intelligent girl; you're one of the schools top students. You have book sense but you lack common sense and patience." He looked me deep into my eyes. "I understand the stresses of balancing work and school. There are plenty of students who are trying to get an education and keep their families off the streets at the same time. You can graduate in the top five if you work hard and stop getting angry and stop mouthing off to teachers."

"Actually," I started to tell him, "I'm not even sure I'm coming back to school next year."

He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "You can't drop out."

"Actually, I can. Washington's age limit is sixteen."

"Yes. With a parent's permission." He pointed out. "I highly doubt that you're aunt will let happen."

"No, but her husband will."

He shook his head in disappointment again. "May I ask? What was you're ACT score?"

I sighed, already knowing that this was going to lead me to a pep talk about staying in school.

"36"

"And you're just gonna throw that away?" He yelled. "A perfect score? Do you know how many scholarships that can get you?"

"I don't see college in my future. I need to help out with income."

"But college can help you get a secure job." He coaxed.

"I'm not trying to b rude sir," I tried to hide how frustrated I was, "But my uncle has an engineering degree and all he does is load trucks all day. Officer Swan came to career day and admitted that he didn't try that hard in high school _and _never went to college, yet he's chief of police! If I work hard, I'm sure I can do well."

He took in a deep breath. "I don't normally do this, but I'm willing to negotiate."

I raise my eyebrow at him questioningly.

"I will not suspend you," he continued, "If you have a weeks worth of in school suspension in my office, help with the tutoring over the summer, and come back to school next year. It's all or nothing."

I sit back and consider his offer. "I can promise you that I will be the first one at tutoring and the last to leave, but I can't promise that I'll return."

"At least consider it."

"That I can do."

I spent the rest of the day in Mr. Nelson's office, studying for final exams that were coming up. When the day finally did end, I immediately ran home to get dressed for work.

Although it seemed impossible, I managed to get two jobs to help around the house. Living in such a small town, it was rare to find a business that was thriving with costumers. We didn't have any fast food restaurants, only diners, a couple of groceries and small businesses.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and some weekends I worked as a waitress in a small restaurant in Forks.

La Push high was only a ten minute walk from my house; but some days, Michael would not come home and forget to pick Brian up from school. So occasionally, I would have to turn around and run twenty minutes to get to the elementary school.

I was more than grateful when I saw the beat-up gray pick up truck on the street in front of the house.

I ran up the raggedy dilapidated porch steps and walked into the house.

My aunt was sitting in her rocking chair, a blank stare at her face as she stared out of the window.

"Hey Auntie," I greeted softly. "How was your day?"

"That man." She mumbled. "What is he doing?"

I walked over to the window, trying to understand what she was talking about.

Across the street, our neighbor was tending to his garden.

"He's in the garden Auntie," I remained calm for her, "there's nothing to be worried about."

"He's planning something isn't he?" Her eyes were suddenly stricken with fear. "He's trying to get us isn't he? He works with those men."

"Those men are in prison, remember?" I try to patiently explain to her. "I have to go to work now. I don't want to be late."

"Don't go! That man could attack you." She begged.

"Mr. Gill is not interested in us." I reassured her. I walked towards my room before she could protest anymore.

Brian was sitting on the floor playing with some toy cars when I walked in. His face lit up and he ran and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Hi sweetie." I kissed his forehead. "How was school?"

"I d-didn't… g-go. M-Mom was… uh a-acting weird a-again." I nodded my head, letting him know that I understood. "S-she s-said that a m-man was c-coming to g-get m-me."

My aunt gets really paranoid that someone is following us or trying to hurt us.

"Did you eat?"

He shook his head furiously.

_Michael still hasn't gone grocery shopping._

"How about you go to the diner with me?"

Brian smiled and jumped up to go get his coat. I stormed straight to the kitchen where I knew Michael would be. Of course there he was, sitting at the table in his drunken stupor.

"I gave you money for groceries." I spread my arms out at the empty fridge and cabinets, "Where? Are they."

"What?" His red eyes scrunched confusingly.

"Food!" I shouted.

"I was winning" he slurred.

I took everything in me not to snatch that greasy matted ponytail off of his head and shove it down his throat. If he loved us as much as he loved gambling and alcohol, we wouldn't be hiding from bill collectors daily. He's the main reason those damn men took us hostage.

_Protection my ass_

"You gotta tell the school that you can't come back next year." He slurred again.

Trust me, I don't _want _to quit school.

Brian ran around the corner with a coloring book and some toys. I snatched the keys from the hook as we headed through the front.

The diner that I work at is a hangout spot for teens. It's a small pace with a fifties theme. My uniform of course matched the theme; A light blue frilly car hop dress that was a little too short for my liking and some white skates. Ms. Carol, the owner, thought the outfit looked adorable. I, on the other hand, saw nothing adorable about perverted teenage boys purposely dropping things near me so that they could get a look up my hoop skirt.

Luckily, the diner was empty right now, so I had more than enough time to clock in and change into my outfit.

Brian sat on a bar stool near the television; he was currently occupied with the coloring book he brought. I cut him a big piece of chocolate cake and handed it to him. He gave me a gracious smile and immediately dug in.

I skated into the kitchen to see who I would be working with. Standing at the grill was Jared Cameron.

_Ugh great._

Jared and I never worked well together. His superior, know it all, "Me and my girlfriend are so perfect" attitude really got under my skin, not to mention the short jokes.

"Well if it isn't my favorite oompa loompa." He grinned as he took some frozen burgers out of the freezer.

"I swear to God, Jared, I don't feel like dealing with your shit today." I rolled my eyes and looked for my notepad and pen.

"What's wrong, Gargamel try to steal your smurf berries again?"

"I'm sorry that I wasn't born the Jolly Green Giant like you." I hissed, "And I'm pretty sure that Gargamel tried to steal actual smurfs, not berries."

"Well hopefully this will brighten up your day," he smirked, "Maddie can't come in today and no one can take her shift, so you're the only waitress we have."

Well that's just perfect. Other days, I wouldn't mind because the diner wouldn't be busy, but the weekends were awful. I don't know how I was going to cater the whole restaurant by myself today. There's no doubt that there's going to be some irritated customers with the diner running so slowly; I was just not in the mood for that.

"Perfect," I huffed.

"I'm having some friends come by the diner at the end of my shift," Jared said, "It would have been wonderful if Maddie were here. It would have been great to have a waitress with a better attitude."

I felt a twitch go through my body, and it took everything in me not to whack him with a food tray. I could feel my migraine come back full force.

The bells above the front door jingled and skated out the kitchen to greet the customers and seat them.

Whenever Officer Swan comes here, he's usually accompanied by other police officers, but today he was with two teenagers I don't recognize.

"Hey, Chief." I greeted as I sat them in a booth, "Who's this?"

"This is my daughter Bella and her boyfriend Edward." Charlie shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the mention of Edward. "They've never eaten here before. I thought they should try the best burgers in Forks before they leave for summer vacation."

Edward wrapped an arm around Bella. "My siblings and I thought it would be a great idea for Bella to travel round Europe with us before senior year."

"Are you not excited to travel?" I asked Edward.

"I'm excited to be with Bella." He smiled and Bella blushed, making Charlie shift uncomfortably in his seat again. "Besides, you can only travel Europe so many times. Nothing really changes."

"Oh."

_My summer will consist of me making sure my family will eat._

Edward's face suddenly changed; almost as if he was embarrassed.

"So what would you like to drink?" I asked.

"Bells and I will have water." Charlie said.

"And you?" I turned towards Edward, but he wasn't paying attention to me.

A glare was plastered on Edward's face. I followed his gaze towards the kitchen window; there, Jared was grimacing back at Edward.

"He'll have water." Bella said as she nudged Edward, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'll be back to take your order." I skated towards the kitchen, swinging open the double doors.

"What the hell Jared? You're freaking out the customer." I accused him as I filled the sodas. "What's wrong with you?"

Jared rolled his eyes. "Why is he even here?"

"To clean up!" I joked. "It's a restaurant. I'm pretty sure everyone is welcome." I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you have against him anyway?"

"He has this creepy obsession with his girlfriend." He answered.

"Kind of like you have a creepy obsession with Kim?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

"What?!" He shouted, "I'm not creepily obsessed with Kim, I jus-" he shook his head, "Anyway, he basically make sure she doesn't go anywhere without him knowing. She can't hang out with anyone without him knowing."

"Once again, kind of like you and Kim," I grabbed the drinks and skated towards the doors, "Here's some advice for you. If it doesn't involve you, it shouldn't concern you."

I skated toward Charlie's table; Edward's glare was replaced with a smile when he saw me.

"You guys ready?" I ask.

"I'll have a cheeseburger." Bella said.

"Me too." Charlie added.

I looked at Edward; a half smile imprinted on his face.

"I actually won't be dining tonight, thank you." He said.

_He came to a restaurant to not eat… never mind, not my business._

"Okay." I shrugged.

I rang up the orders and skated towards the groups coming into the door. I waited on the tables, once stopping to order Brian a plate of chicken tenders. People were coming in and out of the diner, and I was starting to get burnt out from the work load.

"Hey Shayla." Charlie called, "You're the same age as Bella, right? I wonder why you've never seen each other."

"I go to school in La Push." I hand him his check.

"Oh really? A friend of mine's son goes there. Hey Bells?" Charlie turned his body towards his daughter. "Where's Jake been? I haven't seen him in a while?"

Bella's face started to flush and she looked down at her lap. "I don't know dad."

_Jacob Black? He hangs out with Jared. Could that be why Jared kept giving him death glares? Never mind… Not my business._

"WAITRESS!" I turned towards a balding man who was obviously annoyed that no one was there to cater him. "I need Ketchup!"

I felt another twitch shoot through my body.

"The ketchup is on the table sir." I told him, "Right beside the napkins."

I checked on the other customers and go to clear Charlie's table.

On the table, there was a napkin with neat cursive writing scribbled on it.

_You seem to have your hands tied. Buy yourself a break._

_-Edward_

Underneath the napkin was a check… for five hundred dollars.

"JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH!" I cried. Today's entire event started to become a distant memory. I skated towards the kitchen window and yelled at Jared, "I don't care how creepy you think this guy is, if he keeps giving tips like this, he'll get customer of the year."

"Who's getting customer of the year?" A deep voice came from the corner of the kitchen. Terry stood there, tying his long black hair into a ponytail.

Terry has been my best friend ever since I got here. He was the one who helped me cope with the tragic untimely death of my parents. I still go to him for support when I feel overwhelmed by school, work, or taking care of Brian or my aunt.

"She's creaming her pants because Cullen left her a twenty." Jared answered.

I twisted my face in disgust and Terry let out a loud boisterous laugh.

"This is why you work in the kitchen," I rolled my eyes and turn back to Terry, "and actually, he left me a five hundred dollar tip."

"Shit, seriously?" Terry asked while tying the apron behind his back, "I need to be up there instead of back here washing dishes."

The next wave of customers came and went and somehow I managed to survive the dinner rush. After what seemed like forever, it was the end of the day; we only had a couple of hours until it was time to close up the diner.

The diner had been near empty for almost an hour now, so I took the opportunity to finish studying for my finals. Terry was sweeping the floors and Jared was being entertained by Brian, who has been dancing to the jukebox music for half an hour.

The bells above door jingled and I mentally cursed at whoever decided to come in while I was right in the middle of solving my calculus problem.

Standing at the door was Jared's girlfriend Kim, Paul, Sam and his girlfriend.

"It's about time you guys got here." Jared said as he slid out of the booth he was sitting in. He wrapped his arms around Kim and pulled her close to him. He showered her face with kisses. He looked down at her with a dreamy look in his eyes. "I missed you."

I rolled my eyes and looked over to Terry and giggled at the gagging face he shot me.

Jake, Embry and Quil walked through the door; Jake smiled and gave me a small wave. I smiled and winked at him and went back to studying.

I've always have admired Jake. He was one of the few boys at the school who valued education and hard work. Once, we were on a field trip and the bus's engine stopped working. Jake made the driver pop the top open and he fixed it. He said that it was easy; he just had to reconnect some wire that managed to come a loose. I was still impressed that a fifteen year old could figure that out. Jake never seemed to take interest in me. I would try and talk to him, but he would only mutter an answer and walk away uninterested; sometimes he wouldn't even look at me when he talked to me.

The happy and relaxed mood was suddenly changed, when Leah Clearwater stomped through the door with her younger brother in tow.

"I swear to God Seth. Please shut up." An annoyed expression was on her face. "I was up til three in the morning helping you study, give me a fucking break."

Seth was toting a Spanish textbook and a Spanish dictionary and a binder full of what I am assuming are notes from his class.

"C'mon Lee! I might fail!" He whined and sat next to two boys around his age whose names I didn't know.

"If it will get you to put down the damn books for two seconds, then when we get home I'll help you study… _again."_

Leah was a junior when I started school in La Push. I used to see her a lot because my aunt was her dance coach; she was probably the best damn dancer that La Push and Forks had. She's won countless awards and competitions; I'd never understand why she stayed here.

"Hey Smurfette," Jared called to me, sending another damn annoyed twitch to hoot through my body, "Will you get off your ass and come take our order?"

"Nope," I answered not looking up from my book, "I'm on break."

"You're the only damn waitress here!" He shouted.

Normally, if one of us comes here to eat, we just write the order down ourselves and hand it to whoever is cooking; sometimes we'd even cook the meal ourselves. That way if something goes wrong with the order, we wouldn't have to worry about things like tipping or if we get the order wrong; those things can stress a work relationship. Even Mrs. Carol, the owner, followed his rule.

"You do know that's your job to wait people right?" Kim asked sarcastically.

"Not when I'm on break." I quipped back at her.

"Minnie," Terry called me from the kitchen. His face begging me not to make a scene, "just do it please."

Begrudgingly, I lifted myself from the stool and strolled over to the group. Jared pushed some tables together so that the group of twelve could sit together.

"You're out of dress code." Jared pointed down to my feet. I got rid of my skates a while ago, instead, trading them for my comfortable red tennis shoes that I walked in with.

"You do know that we made up the "self serve" agreement because of you right?" I asked, trying not to let him annoy me.

"We're just trying to have a good time!" Jared raises his hands defensively, "Kim and I had our last exams today. We're finally graduating."

"Whoopty damn doo." Leah muttered under her breath.

"It's not like you had anything to do," Jared spat at her, "all you were going to was sit at home and be surrounded by the loneliness that you call life."

"And it wouldn't be nearly as mind numbing as a night out with you guys." She spat back at him.

"You didn't have to come. We only invited you to be nice." He glanced over at Sam who was glowering in his chair.

"Trust me, I wasn't going to come." She glared at Sam who was slowly slinking lower in his seat.

"Well if you're going to be such a bitch-"

"MAY I TAKE SOMEBODY'S ORDER PLEASE?" I demanded. I could feel the atmosphere become more and more tense because of this unnecessary argument.

One by one, I took everyone's drink order and ended at Seth; his nose stuck in his textbook.

I tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped, almost as if he forgot where he was.

"Sorry." He muttered, his face turning red as the group laughed at him

"¿Qué te gustaría beber?" I asked him.

"Oh crap, I know this." He started to flip through the book, so I snatched it away from him.

"Gustría is a form of what?" I quiz him.

"Gustar."

"Which means?"

"Would like."

I nodded my head. "Now what does beber mean?

"To drink." He said casually.

"So I ask again. ¿Qué te gustaría beber?"

"Oh shit. What would I like to drink? Uh… coke."

I couldn't help but chuckle at him. "All you have to do is break the sentence down. Quit pshycing yourself out."

"I have to take Spanish two next year and I may need a tutor. Is your Spanish pretty strong?" I could see him silently begging for me to say yes.

"I'm in honors Spanish three." His face filled with relief. "I'll actually be tutoring at the school over the summer. I can help get you ahead of your class."

I walked back to the kitchen and began to fill the drinks.

"So," Terry casually leaned next to the drink station, "are we just not gonna talk about what happened today?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, putting an innocent face on.

"Don't play dumb, everyone's talking about how you damn near mauled Vera today."

"It was not that bad." I rolled my eyes and continued to fill the drinks, "she left with a bruised lip and eye, not a missing limb."

"People described it as a scene from fight club," he crossed his arms and eyed me, "shit Shay, how long are you going to be suspended?"

"I actually didn't get suspended. He's just making me do ISS in his office and tutoring over the summer."

"So he gave you a slap on the wrist?"

Terry was more serious about my education than his own. It bothers the shit out of me; he acted way too much as my father.

I ignored his comment and stared out the window; watching as he scarffed down Kim's neck instead of the fries he's been nibbling on for the past hour.

"Do they seem weird to you? Like their relationship is just off to me." Terry said.

"Why because they're super happy?" I asked.

"Yeah," he exclaimed, "It's like "What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Kim is the Sun." type of relationship.

I let out a laugh that was a little too loud.

"All of them are little off to me." He continued.

"I asked if they were in a cult," I told him, "Jake said no."

"If you were in a cult would you say yes?"

"Good point."

"You know what is scary though?" He shifted uncomfortably in his spot. "That Sam guy. None of those guys would even look his way, then all of a sudden they're following him like a lost puppy." He stared out of the window towards Leah, "He made everyone look like him, walk around naked. Then he broke up with his girlfriend and starts dating her cousin…. And keeps the ex around. They have to be a cult… that or he has the dick of a lifetime."

I let out another howl and slap his arm, "That's not funny."

"I'm serious," he laughed along with me, "he's like a scary story character. He follows you and if you make eye contact with him... BAM... you're apart of his gang." He widens his eyes as if he's serious and starts wiggling his fingers toward me, "Beware the stare."

Jared abruptly got out of his chair and marched towards the kitchen, an irritated expression posted on his face.

"Oh shit," Terry muttered.

"Who came in your cookies?" I asked humorously.

Terry let out a snicker and Jared forced some napkins into my hand.

"Since you decided to come back here and crack jokes, I took it upon myself to take everyone's orders." He put everyone's drinks on the platters and walked them to his table.

"I think he heard us." Terry stated the obvious.

"No shit."

Terry began to put burgers on the stove. "Who came in your cookies?" He raised an amused eyebrow at me.

I stayed in the back and helped him cook the orders.

_Jesus, who orders four double burgers?_

"So I got a summer job." Terry states proudly over the fryers. "At a camp for kids with speech disorders." He looks over at me and raised an eyebrow. I knew exactly where this is leading.

"No." I state firmly.

"Shayla-"

"You are not about to take Brian away for the whole summer."

"It will be good for him look." He pulls a pamphlet from his back pocket, "Look at these reviews. They specialize in results."

"How much is it?" I look up at him.

"He gets a big discount because I'm there."

"How much is it?" I ask more firmly.

"And he'll get to meet people from all over the country."

"Terry! How. Much. Is. It?

"$748."

I took in a sharp breath.

_There goes my tip_

"I'll help you out. I just think that this will be a good experience for him."

"I'll think about it." I sigh and start to help Terry bring out the food.

As I was walking through the door, I heard Kim whisper to Jared, "Aren't you afraid that she put something in your food?"

He pulled her close to him and kissed her forehead, "Don't worry babe. She's not that fucking stupid."

I felt my jaw clench with sudden annoyance and anger. I took a deep breath and place the food on the table. I try to contain myself from knocking Jared's burger in his lap.

I place Kim's salad in front of her and smile sweetly, "Enjoy your food. I made the salad dressing _just_ for you." I turned around quickly and tried to suppress the wicked grin on my face.

I never did anything to her salad; I just liked messing with Jared. It's funny how defensive he gets about her.

"Oh God, what did you do?" Terry raised an eyebrow at me and continued to sweep the kitchen floor.

"Nothing," I said as I started to clean off the counters, "just messing with lover boy."

Jared huffed through kitchen, swinging the double doors so forcefully; they could have come off the hinges.

"What the fuck did you do to her salad?" He yelled. The anger on his face was evident and he was clenching the plate in his hand.

I place a hand over my heart and put on an offended face, "What ever do you mean Jared? I would never do anything to eradicate the good name of this restaurant. I am truly offended sir."

Terry snickered in the background and Jared's face remained unamused.

"Well fine," he headed through the double doors, "Then you won't mind if I give this to Brian."

I shrug my shoulders and continue to wipe the counters.

"Um Shay?" Terry stopped sweeping and looked towards the doors, "There are almonds in the salad."

I slam the towels down and sprint through the double doors, hoping I can intervene before my petty joke ends with Brian having to take a trip to the hospital.

"Stop," I snatch the bowl from Brian and knock the fork he was holding out of his hand, "He can't eat that."

He grabbed the plate and pointed an incriminating finger at my chest, "So you admit to putting something in the salad?"

"No," I argued, "but if Brian eats one of the almonds in that salad, his throat will close."

"Make her a new one," he said through clenched teeth. He grabbed my wrist a little too forcefully; my body felt as if it was trembling from anger.

Sam walked over and put a hand on Jared's shoulder and eyed me suspiciously. "You both need to calm down."

In the process of trying to snatch my arm away from his tightened grip, I managed to knock the salad out of his hand; causing the remains to spill on the front of my dress, the floor, and my shoes.

An amused smirk played on Jared's lips, "Look at you, a mess. Almost like your life."

Something in me snaps and I lunged toward Jared; pair of strong arms reach around my waist and lift me from the ground.

"You're risking getting fired over Jared," Terry softly whispers in my ears, "Do you want Brian to see you like this?"

I started to breathe heavily and pain shot out throughout my body. My head felt as if a horn was blaring beside my brain. My trembling started turning into convulsions and my eyesight was suddenly filled with fog.

None of his words were registering to me; all I could concentrate on was the strange trembling and sudden blurriness in my eyes.

_What the hell is going on?_

Then it dawned on me.

The anger, the trembling, the twitching.

I'd seen this happen to the boys in my hometown in Kenya.

_I'm about to phase._

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

_Oh God, not this._

_Not me._

_This isn't supposed to happen to me._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Stephanie owns all twilight characters.**

_Jacob's POV_

She was going to phase, right here in the restaurant.

She had all the signs except for the heat and the smell. I think I'm the only one who's figured it out; everyone else seems to be confused. Thankfully, the restaurant was near empty, leaving only the pack, Shayla, her young cousin and Terry.

Shayla was lying on the floor clutching her head and twitching; her eyes clamped shut. Terry was holding her head and Brian was crouched beside her with tears streaming down his face.

_Poor kid, he doesn't know what's going on._

"We have to call an ambulance," Terry said with a concerned look in his eyes.

"No!" Shayla, Sam and I all shouted at the same time.

_So Sam knows what's going on._

"We have to," Terry shouted back, "Shayla look at me."

"I can't." She whispered, "my vision is distorted; it's blurry."

"And you don't want to call an ambulance?" Terry argued in frustration.

"Ahem," Sam cleared his throat and kneeled down next to Shayla, "I need for you not to freak out, okay?"

I cringed and Brian made a loud yelp as Sam pinched two fingers into her eye.

Terry snapped his head towards Sam, "What the fuck-"

"She has on contacts." He defended. He did the same thing to the other eye, "Better?"

"Shit," Shay's face was filled with disbelief, "I can see… clearly."

Another tremble went through her body; the biggest one yet. I knew that it wasn't going to be long before she phased.

"I'm taking you home," I announced. I picked her up bridal style, "Where are her car keys?"

Terry didn't argue, he ran to the back of the store and grabbed her belongings. "Don't forget about Brian," he says to me.

_Shit, I already did._

We ran to her truck. Brian strapped himself into his car seat while I strapped an almost comatose Shayla in the passenger seat.

My original plan was to take Shayla into the woods so that she could phase, but with Brian in the picture, that was impossible. I was just speeding down the dark winding road, hoping to find an answer.

"Pull over!" Shayla screeched, her body continuously twitching to the point that it was causing her discomfort.

I stop the car, thankful that we are on a deserted road near the woods. Shayla opens the truck door and falls out of her seat.

"Shit," I mumbled and start fumbling with my seat belt. I turned to the back towards Brian, "Stay right here. Everything will be fine"

I know that my voice betrayed me.

I follow Shayla who's crawling towards the woods.

"Stay back!" She yelled.

Her body started trembling more and more until finally she phased out of her clothes and on the cold wooded area.

But none of the months of phasing or years of stories could prepare me for what lied in front of me. I took in the sight in front of me.

Her fur was short, a golden brown in the back and a snow white in the front. Her fur covered in black spots. Her slim tail went down her leg and her long whiskers gleamed in the silver moonlight.

I could hardly believe it was her, until I looked into her eyes. Only she had those amber eyes with the chocolate rim.

_She's not a wolf_

_She's a leopard_

A piercing shrill filled the air. Shayla and I both turned our heads, to see Brian, who had snuck away from the car.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked him.

"Don't hurt her!" He yelled. He ran towards her and wrapped his small arms around her neck; she lowered her head and rubbed his face against her neck.

I take a step towered Brian, and he takes a step back; Shayla bares her saber teeth at me.

"It's okay," I raised my hands defensively. "Look."

I started to strip from my clothes; Shayla stepped in front of him to block his view. Her amber eyes raised in shock.

I hold up a finger as if to tell her to wait and phase right in front of them.

_"__Holy Shit!" Shayla exclaimed. "You're a –"_

_"__Yep," I interrupted, "a werewolf."_

_"__Holy shit." She repeated. "So you and your friends are-"_

_"__A pack… not a cult .And I hate to tell you this, but no, Sam does not have the dick of a lifetime."_

_"__Oh… uh." She stuttered embarrassingly. "I didn't mean anything by it."_

_"__Its okay, Paul, Quil and I thought it was hysterical."_

The atmosphere started to change; slowly Shayla's voice started to become quieter and she shrank back to her human body.

She immediately drew her knees up her chest, trying to shield herself away from me. Brian was sitting in the ground; his back turned to us.

I phased back and started to get dressed. Shayla picked up the shredded garments that were her clothes, so I threw my shirt towards her. She gave me small thanks and slid the shirt over her head. The shirt was big on her, covering most of her thigh.

We stayed quiet the whole ride to her house. We were going to drop Brian off at her house and head over to Sam and Emily's. I shot a quick text to Sam saying that we needed to have an emergency meeting, everyone need to be there, elders and all.

I pulled into her driveway and watched her and Brian silently sneak into the house.

I took the advantage to call Sam. He answered after two rings.

"Jake!" Sam answered, "What's going on? Why do we need the elders?"

"She's not a wolf." I say quickly.

"What?"

"She's. Not. A. Wolf." I reiterated.

"Did she phase?"

"Yep."

"And you saw her?"

"Yep."

"So how is she not a wolf?" I could hear the chatter in the background start to fade away; he probably moved to another room to hear better.

"She's a feline. A cat. A leopard to be exact."

Sam went quiet on the other line, and Shayla walked out of her house with a new outfit on.

"Sam I have to go." I hang up the phone and Shayla slides into the car.

"My Aunt and Uncle are sleeping, so we can use the truck," she said.

I head down the road towards Sam's house, my mind reeling with questions.

"How's Brian?" I decided to ask.

"I think he's in shock," she said, a frown plastered on her face, "I told him that this is a big secret and we'll come back and explain this to him. He just sat there on the bed, staring at the wall." She shuddered, "It was like talking to my aunt." She relaxed in her seat, "So, tell me about the pack."

"Well, Sam's our alpha."

"I figured."

"And Jared's beta."

"Oh hell no!" She threw her hands in the air. "Asshat McGhee? Ugh."

I couldn't help but laugh, "Yeah, and Kim is his imprint. An imprint is-"

"The sun, the moon, the stars. Keeps you grounded and close to Earth. Yadda, yadda, yadda." She waves her hand as if she was uninterested.

We pull into Sam's driveway and I turned to her confused. "How do you know this?"

"My father phased in our kitchen when I was four. I've known about everything since then."

We walked into the house where everyone was patiently waiting for us. My father, Sue, and Old Quil sat together in some chairs they pulled from the kitchen.

"Good Lord," Old Quil adjusted his glasses and squinted his eyes at her, " Was no one going to tell us that she was a young woman?"

"Surprise!" Quil shouted, only to get whacked in the head by Old Quil's cane.

"You're Meredith's grandchild," Sue stood up and smiled at her, "you look a lot like her. She was such lovely woman."

"Thank you," Shayla smiled sweetly at her, "And may I say, Mr. Clearwater was a great man. He used to come check on us sometimes, even brought us fish."

Sue smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Well aren't you polite."

"Just wait, that will change." Jared snorted.

Sue turned and gave him a disapproving look, so he mumbled a half hearted apology.

"As nice as it is to meet you," my father spoke up, "why was an emergency meeting called?"

Sam looked at Shayla, Shayla looked to me, and I looked at Sam.

"Shayla's not a wolf." Sam explained.

The room seemed to deafen from shock, everyone taking in the news.

"What?" My father looked at Shay. "How can she not be a wolf? We're the only shape shifters left."

"She turned into a leopard aparantly." Sam shrugged, "It's mystery to me too. I thought they were extinct."

"Child," Dad rolled himself towards us, "Do you know any of your tribal stories-"

"Dad," I tried to interrupt.

"We'll have to search the books for a while-"

"dad-"

"I don't think we have anything in our records about you-" My father kept excitingly rambling on about finding information.

"Mr. Black?" Shayla managed to capture his attention, "I can tell you everything you need to know."

My father grinned at her. "These kids knew damn near nothing about the shape shifters when they first phased. Go ahead."

"Well," she began, "When I moved out here, my aunt told everyone I was from Nairobi. Truth is, I lived outside of Nairobi and Magadi. I used to live in a small hidden village near the Tsavo National Parks; the village was filled with all types of shape shifters. Leopards, jaguars, wolves, lynxes, tigers, lions; we have them there." The room was silent, everyone was watching Shayla intently. "The village was built to rebuild what the vampires destroyed; all those slained shifters wouldn't die in vain. We had to not only protect our village and our people, but we had to protect the parks. Poachers and vampires can easily make an animal go extinct. My grandfather was the chief/ alpha. He made sure that all of us knew everything about shape shifting. Because we were in Kenya, most of us were felines, but wolves from other countries were there."

Leah sheepishly looked at her, "What do you know about female wolves?"

"You're a wolf?" Shayla seemed astonished; she looked at me for confirmation, "I thought she was an imprint."

"Leah is the first female wolf in our tribe," I told her. "We know nothing about female shifters."

"Female shape shifters in general are rare."

"Have you heard any stories about them?" Old Quil asked.

"I don't want to say," she looked over at Leah. "The only stories I know are from tribe members from outside the country."

"We need to know." My dad said.

Shayla took in a long breath, "Females aren't exactly welcomed in packs. We're usually deemed as "the omegas"."

"That's good right?" Seth's chipper voice and naivety only caused more tension in the air. "It's a title."

"The lowest title." Leah snapped.

"She's right," Shayla said, " It's Alpha, then Beta, then elders, male pack members, humans, dirt, trash, vampires, THEN omegas." She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "It's disgusting. They're supposed to "submit" themselves to the male members of the pack," She snaps her head to Sam, "and I can tell you now that _that _shit is not happening."

"Have there been any in your village." I asked.

"My aunt was the first one." Her jaw clenched and she popped her knuckles, "my grandfather was afraid of what they would do to her, so he exiled her from the village."

Her face was filled with pain and anger; it was a clue to us not to question her about it any more."

"This is some shit!" Leah shouted and stood up abruptly from the coach, "I turn into a giant _dog,_ have to shave my hair and abandon my friends so that I can become the pack's whore?"

"Don't worry," Sam assured, "that won't happen to you."

"It better fucking not." Shayla and Leah snapped at the same time. They turned they're heads toward each other; Leah raised her eyebrow at her.

"That's weird," Shaya said, "I wasn't even upset." She scrunched her eyebrows together as if she was thinking. "I need to know. A few nights ago, at around midnight, were you really unhappy? Like crying?"

"Yeah," Leah's face was a mix of confusion and embarrassment, "it was my dad's birthday."

"Oh my God" Shayla cried, "I was studying and I started bawling out of nowhere."

"Were you really pissed off today? Because I got angry for no reason and flipped a table over." She shot an apologetic look towards Sue.

"I got into a fight today in study hall!" Shayla answered excitedly.

"So basically," Old Quil scratched his head, "you two can feel each others emotions without phasing."

"I've never heard of two females in the same pack." Shayla said. "Why were you irritated yesterday?"

"Because Sam told me that my hair was getting too long." She shot a dirty look towards Sam and ran her fingers through her shoulder length hair.

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose, "You know that if you're hair gets too long in human form it will be longer as a wolf."

"So," Leah protested, "Who the hell is gonna see me?"

"I am NOT cutting my hair." Shayla barked.

I think everyone was starting to realize the impact of having two females in the pack would do.

Sam rubbed his temples and took a deep breath, "You're both cutting your hair. You have to. Everyone who phases cuts their hair. It's been that way for generations. Didn't the boys in your town cut their hair when they phased?"

"Men cut their hair in my tribe so that they can get a decent job in the city." Shayla put her hands on her hips, "Have you ever heard of the woman and the strange way she used to cook roast beef."

The room turned to her in confusion; Old Quil laughs at her in amusement. "This is going to be funny."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Okay," Shayla began, "There was this woman who would cut the ends off of the roast beef before she would cook it. Her husband asked her why and she said, "Because my mother used to do it." So they call the girl's mother and ask her why she did it and she said "because my mother did it." So they call the grandmother and she also did it because her mother used to do it. So finally, they get a hold of the great grandmother and ask why she cut the ends of the meat off. And do you know what she said? "Because the pan was too small."

Old Quil howled with laughter; the rest of us are still confused.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sam asked.

"Here it comes," Old Quil whispered to Sue, "here's the funny part."

"Well," Shayla continued, "When men first started phasing, they didn't have the ability to adjust to drastic temperatures; their bodies weren't over a hundred degree like ours. So what they would do was cut their hair in the summer and grew it back so that they would be warm in the winter. Now our wolf hair stops growing once it gets to a certain length."

Old Quil began cracking up with laughter, "What am I always telling you son?"

"Never sop researching," Sam mutters.

"Why?"

"Because someone could come and know a hell of a lot more than the alpha."

Jared rolled his eyes, "She only told him about hair. It's nothing."

"It's the beginning," Old Quil corrected him.

"I'm sorry," Shayla piped in, "did I do something wrong."

"No, Old Quil is just saying-"

"Hey," I yelled over the chatter, "I didn't call a meeting because of hair." Shayla raised her eyebrow at me. "Did you already forget? We phased in front of Brian."

Shayla made an o shape with her mouth.

"We need to talk to him," I told Sam, "there's no way around it."

"Wait a minute," Embry stood and crossed his arms, "so I have to sneak out of my house and avoid my mother, but a five year old can know our secret?"

"He's seven," Shayla corrected, "and trust me, if there was a way to avoid explaining this to him, I would have thought of it."

Sam rubbed the back of his neck and thought for a second. "She's right."

We were on our way to Shayla's house. Shayla was driving, I was in the passenger seat, and Leah and Sam was sitting awkwardly in the back seat.

"Why did you bring me?" The bitterness in Leah's voice was evident.

"Because you're good with kids." Sam answered.

Shayla pulled into her driveway and we quietly tried to sneak through the front door; but of course as we entered the house, Shayla's aunt turned the corner.

"Who are they?" Her eyes filled with fear, "Shayla, why are they here."

"Auntie, it's okay." She rubbed her shoulder in assurance. "You remember Leah right?"

Leah gave a small wave to the woman, "Hi Ms Denise. How are you?"

The woman stared at Leah, and then turned her focus to Sam.

"My room is around the corner on the right." Shayla said, "I'll meet you there."

We awkwardly walk to her room, but not before hearing Ms. Denise say, "That Sam can't be here. His own mother says even says he's no good."

Sam's face flinched a little and Leah slowly opened the door.

Brian was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. He popped up and made a beeline straight for the door.

"Wait Brian," I chased after him.

"L-leave m-me alo-one." He turned the corner and ran smack dab into Shayla.

"Brian, what the-"

"Are they g-going to h-hurt us?" Brian attached himself to Shayla's waist. Denise peeped her head from around the corner.

"No Bry," She kissed the top of his head and grabbed his hand, "come talk to us." She led him back into their bedroom, where he sat on the bed. Shayla sat beside him and the three of us stood in front of them.

"Well… um... How do I do this without scaring you?" She stammered.

"I got it." Leah sat down on the other side of Brian, "You know how Bruce Banner is a normal guy, but when he gets really angry he turns into the hulk?" Brian nods his head. "Well we're kind of like that. Sometimes, even when we're not angry, we have to turn into this creature to help people."

Brian's eyes widened and his mouth made an o shape, "Y-you're superheroes?"

Leah put her finger to her lips, "Sshh, we have to keep it a secret."

"B-But there a-are no vil-lains here."

"You're welcome." Sam said and winked at him.

Brian covered his mouth with his hands and looked to Shayla for confirmation.

"Do you remember those stories Grandma used to tell us about the men who turned to wolves? Well those stories are true." She told him. She looked at the alarm clock on the dresser. "It's really late. Go put on your pajamas."

"O-okay. But I'm getting und-dressed in t-the bathroom." He shot a look towards me and walked out of the room.

"What was that about?" Sam asked.

"I'm starting to run out of clothes." I tell them as I turned my head to hide my shame.

"I think he was handling everything well until you started stripping in front of him." Shayla laughed.

Brian returned and hopped under the covers. Shayla lay down beside him and began stroking his hair. "Brian, how would you like to go to summer camp?"

"It s-sounds f-fun," he yawned, "but they'll m-make fun of m-me."

"No they won't. They'll be like you, plus Terry will be there."

Brian's face lights up and he nods his head excitedly.

"We'll talk about it more in the morning." She kissed his forehead and started to scoot off the bed.

"Wait!" Brian cried and sat up in the bed, "S-sing me a-a song."

Shayla looked to us as if she was embarrassed, "How about a story?"

"N-no." Brian whined, "I w-want a l-ullaby."

Leah danced her way back over to the bed and crossed her legs. "I used to hear you practice during our breaks during dance class, I want to hear this."

Shayla rolled her eyes and sat back on the bed, "You're killing me Smalls."

Brian pointed out a tiny finger towards the guitar in the corner of the room, "Gitaa." He announced proudly.

Shayla strided across the room and grabbed the guitar, "Look at you. We'll be having conversations soon." She began tuning the guitar; turning the untuned sour notes into a beautiful sound. "What do you want to hear?"

"S-sing m-me s-something your a-aunt useed-d to sing t-to y-you."

Shayla thought for a minute and began expertly plucking the strings creating a slow melodic tune. She opened her mouth and started to sing in a sweet soprano voice. All of us sat there mesmerized at the music she had created. Brian's eyes slowly started to get heavy.

**Malaika, nakupenda Malaika  
>Malaika, nakupenda Malaika<br>Ningekuoa mali we, ningekuoa dada  
>Nashindwa na mali sina we, Ningekuoa Malaika<br>Nashindwa na mali sina we, Ningekuoa Malaika**

I was enjoying listening to her that I found myself sad when the song was over.

Brian was quietly snoring in their bed, so we tip toed out of the room.

Shayla and I stood on the front porch while Leah and Sam waited on the driveway, standing as far away from each other as they could.

"So," I start to say, "You're really smart, have _two _jobs, and you sing. Do you not have a social life?"

Shayla gave me a half smile and laughed, "That happens when you never own a television."

"Never?" I asked.

She shook her head, "My parents thought they rot the brain and my aunt could never afford one. Michael kept gambling away the money we would save to buy one. I have a key to Terry's house _just _so I can watch Scandal." She let out a soft chuckle and looked up at me, "Thank you."

"I didn't do anything. I just sat there; Leah explained it all to Brian."

"I'm talking about this morning with Vera. Things could have gotten a lot worse." Her face is filled with obvious regret.

"It's okay," I put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "before I phased I almost hit my dad, you just have to move long and learn to think." She nodded her head in agreement, "Thank_ you_ for not peeing on yourself like Quil did." She lets out a loud laugh. "We never let him live that down."

"I better get back inside." She stepped through the doorway.

I honestly hope that she fits into the pack. I really want to like her.

"Oh and Jacob?" She called through the screen door. "Tell Sam that I'm not getting that fucking tattoo either."

**Malaika translation.**

**Angel, I love you Angel.  
>Angel, I love you Angel.<br>And me, what should I do, my love?  
>I don't have any money,<br>(LITERALLY: I'm defeated by wealth, I don't have any.)  
>I would marry you, Angel.<br>I don't have any money,  
>I would marry you, Angel.<strong>

**My great grandmother would sing this while cooking and I never knew what it meant! It was great sharing that with you.**


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